One interesting by-product of the proliferation of social tools has been the boon in one-click activism. One need only look at the staggering number of Facebook groups dedicated to every thinkable cause to start to see how widely this has spread. Want to save the people of Darfur? How about ending breast cancer? If you can dream of doing it, there’s probably a Facebook Group.

This isn’t to say Facebook Groups can’t do good things. I’m sure there are examples up the wazoo of a Facebook Group or online petition leading to concrete action. But asking people to click on a “Join Group” button is a lot easier, and thus a lot more appealing, than asking people to get off of their couch and actually do something. Read more

Anyone who’s read this blog, followed me on Twitter or met me in person over a pint or two knows I’ve had some less-than-nice things to say about “Social Media Consultants.” I’ve tried to temper my comments by saying I’m only ranting about some consultants, not all, but in general, one could easily come away with the impression that I have little use for the emerging field of social media consultancy.

Which will likely make this next bit a bit surprising. Read more

UPDATED BELOW. TWICE!

First, the requisite bit of disclosure. I spent a few months working for an environmental organization dedicated to protecting the boreal forest in Canada. After leaving their employ, I continued to do a bit of media monitoring work for them on contract until a few weeks ago. None of this influences the following post, as far as I can tell, except maybe that I’m more tuned into these issues than the average person.

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A few months ago I wrote about #BlameDrewsCancer - one guy’s amazingly-cool reaction to being diagnosed with cancer.

Since then, thousands upon thousands of people have blamed Drew’s cancer for all kinds of stuff. Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG campaign got on board. Oh, and as promised, Drew kicked his cancer’s ass. Read more